Hopenhagen Ambassador Contest: HuffPost Citizen Journalist Will Win A Trip To Copenhagen

Most people don't know it, but the fate of the world is at stake this December. The UN is holding a Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark where the world's leaders will decide whether there will be any framework at all on limiting carbon emissions before the Kyoto protocol expires and the before the amount of carbon in the atmosphere climbs to even higher, and harder to reverse levels.

While this might sound abstract, bureaucratic or boring, this global gathering will determine the future of our planet. The effects of global warming are already lapping at the world's shores, destroying species, threatening cities, and encroaching on our ability to produce food. This is real, and this is happening.

But it is not all doom and gloom.

Hopenhagen.org is working to connect every person, city and nation with what is happening at the conference in Copenhagen, believing that citizens can help push the fate of the planet down a positive path by showing political leaders that the citizens of world passionately want them to reach an agreement that would limit how much carbon emissions each country would produce. Leaders are shying away from making these commitments, and Hopenhagen.org wants to show there is a strong political will to set emissions targets -- which would mean more green jobs, and a more sustainable future for people everywhere.

At Hopenhagen.org, people can become a citizen of the Nation of Hopenhagen by signing a petition, learning about grassroots climate efforts and spreading the word to their own communities.

This message of action, bringing people together and spreading hope is why HuffPost Green is teaming up with Hopenhagen.org for an exciting citizen journalism contest.

WHAT: We are sending a HuffPost citizen journalist to Copenhagen for the climate conference as the Hopenhagen Ambassador, to represent the global nation of people who are hopeful that leaders will come to an agreement.

THE PRIZE: The winner will receive a trip to Copenhagen from December 12-19th! This will include airfare, accommodation, press accreditation for the UN conference, Media training with HuffPost Citizen journalism editor Matt Palevsky, HuffPost blogging privileges, and a flip camera to record events.

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But with great privilege comes great responsibility:

The duties of the Hopenhagen Ambassador will include:

Representing the people of Hopenhagen to the media and at official events throughout the week, reporting on events in blogs and videos posts for HuffPost while in Copenhagen, doing celebrity interviews, and spreading the message of hope throughout his or her personal and social networks.

WHO: Anyone over 18 can enter the contest -- you just need to upload a one minute campaign video for why you should elected ambassador. click here for the full contest rules.

Watch this video for more information on what we're looking for.

We are letting HuffPost readers pick the ten best candidates. The voting part of the contest will run from November 18th to December 2nd. We'll stop accepting new entries on November 29th at midnight. We'll notify ten finalists that are being considered by December 3rd by our panel of judges, which will include Arianna Huffington, Laurie David, Green Editor Katherine Goldstein, Citizen Journalism Editor Matthew Palevsky and others to be announced. We will contact the finalists through their YouTube or Facebook accounts (be sure you check those!) The winner will be announced Monday December 7th.

Videos will be published on HuffPost Green, where viewers can vote on who they think should be the Hopenhagen Ambassador. Candidates are encouraged to mobilize their networks of friends, twitter followers (use the hashtag #votehope), and even seek out celebrity or organizational endorsements for their candidacy. Be creative, get attention for yourself and the cause of bringing hope to Copenhagen.

ENDORSEMENTS: We encourage candidates to gather endorsements from notable blogs and environmental organizations that might lend weight to one's candidacy. You'll see the endorsers listed below each candidate's video. To file an endorsement, an organization or blog simply needs to link to a candidate's video page on our Hopenhagen Ambassador slideshow and explain why they are endorsing. Then email us the link here with the "Endorsement of [Name]" in the headline.

We're not doing endorsements from individuals, because that could get unwieldy. To file an endorsement, an org/blog just needs to link to the video somewhere on their website, with a message about why their endorsing. Then send the link to us at this email address and we'll publish the endorsement within 24 hours.

Submit your video using the YouTube Direct uploader below. You will be briefly redirected to YouTube in order to verify your account, before coming back to this page to upload your video. You can also link to a video that already exists on your YouTube account. Put your full name as the title, a short description of your qualifications and press submit. You'll see the video on HuffPost Green within 24 hours.

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Comments

[dianeesh]

We have hope for Moss and Olive and all the grandchildren of this world!
Diane Eshelman

[danheagney]

Hey Huffington, when will the voting actually begin? It says it will begin yesterday, am I just missing something?

[Lee Andrew]

Hey, ex miliatry officer, CNN TV news producer here - also very close. I live in Switzerland. an dthus the trip would not be that expensive for HuffPost -- actually I can afford to pay it myself. lol

LeeAndrew

[messy - Huffpost Blogger]

Sure, I wanna go! (as long as I don't have to pay for it)

[american first]

THIS IS SUCH HIPOCRACY, I JUST READ MY FATHERS READERS DIGEST DATED 1958 AND GUESS WHAT, GLOBAL WARMING SEEMED TO BE A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION EVEN THEN, HMMM. EVERYBODY DOES REALIZE THAT THERE IS SUCH A THING A CYCLICAL WEATHER CORRECT. THIS IS ONLY A MOVE TO MAKE A FEW PEOPLE RICH AND A FEW COUNTRIES RICHER. UNLESS YOU ARE GOING TO CHARGE COUNTRIES WITH HIGH AMOUNTS OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY AS WELL THEN I THINK THE ISSUE IS MOOT. ASIDE FROM AL GORE'S TOTALLY HYPOCRITICAL STANCE OF DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO. WAKE UP PEOPLE, YOU ARE HEADED INTO TERRITORY YOU DO NOT WANT TO TREAD.

[Publicola]

Public release date: 19-Jan-2009

University of Illinois at Chicago

Survey: Scientists agree human-induced global warming is real...

A group of 3,146 earth scientists surveyed around the world overwhelmingly agree that in the past 200-plus years, mean global temperatures have been rising, and that human activity is a significant contributing factor in changing mean global temperatures.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/uoia-ssa011609.php

[Patrick McCarthy]

YOU ARE LYING

[Spiky Kitten]

Questions on the Travel:

Will this air travel be offset with carbon credits or through the planting of actual trees?
Isn't travel by sail boat greener?

[RadCenter]

Drivel

[jimrs6]

2nd Place is 2 weeks in Copenhagen.

[liberalbug]

LOL! Third place means meals are included.

[indy oriented]

Isnt the APS part of the "Great Consensus" over climate change?

APS rejects plea to alter stance on climate change

"Current climate models appear insufficiently reliable to properly account for natural and anthropogenic contributions to past climate change, much less project future climate," the petition concludes. It also points to "extensive scientific literature that examines beneficial effects of increased levels of carbon dioxide for both plants and animals."

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/40916

[W i l l]

Its become a nonevent before it even happens. Perhaps its organizers and promoters ought to rethink how best to go about influencing world leaders to get their heads out of the sand.

I suggest moving the event to someplace where the sight and effect of global pollution is unavoidable.

Copenhagen, having recently been voted the cleanest city in Europe...is entirely counter-productive to rubbing people's nose in the stench of humanity's habitual pollution of the Earth.

[ceolas]

RE
"limiting carbon emissions before the Kyoto protocol expires "

Actually one positive outcome is that the Kyoto agreement - with its emphasis on
the emission trading (Cap and Trade) scam - might indeed expire

The simple focus on electricity generation and transport deals with 80% of emissions
(emission tax on cars, phased in emission limits on electricity generation­/distribut­ion)
http://ceolas.net/#cc1x
All local, easier to apply, no international wrangling, no offset avoidances by tree planting etc,
advantage of dealing with emissions for all else they contain, whatever about CO2

Emission Trading (Cap and Trade)
http://ceolas.net/#cce5x
Basic Idea -- Offsets -- Tree Planting -- Manufacture Shift -- Fair Trade -- Surreal Market -- Allowances: Auctions + Hand-Outs -- Allowance Trading -- Companies: Business Stability + Cost -- In Conclusion.

.

[alvdh1]

I resent the fact that Huffington Post has hosen to limit participation in this contest to YouTube. Not everyone has the means to make a video on YouTube, but most everyone has the ability to post a comparable letter or blog to enter a contest. Iguess they decided it would require them to increase the 250 word limit on posts to something more reasonable such as 500-750 words with spell check. At any rate, the contest should be modified to accept written entries.

[teasley]

It's not very progressive of Huffpo, is it? It seemsto me that this contest should be all inclusive, and if someone has a better idea or presentation he/she should be required to share it with everyone else before submission. In the interest of fairness and spreading the wealth, as it were.

[Spiky Kitten]

Spreading the wealth: We could just send 400 people to Detroit instead.

[Spiky Kitten]

Questions:

Airfare: Will this air travel be offset with carbon credits or through the planting of actual trees, and isn't sail boat travel greener?

Accommodation: It the hotel LEED certified (gold or above), passive solar, rainwater toilets, does their restaurant have meat on the menu?

Press accreditation for the UN conference: Printed on recycled paper (80% or better post consumer waste) and is it printed with soy inks?

Media training with Hu.ffPo.st Citizen journalism editor Ma.tt Pale.vsky: See travel and accommodations along with - does he drive a car that is less environmentally friendly than a Prius?

Flip camera to record events: LED lights, with rechargeable batteries, and is the manufacturer and vendor the most environmentally sound choice?

[Solana Iribarren]

Huffington ... cant you see that what you are doing with this contest is exactly what is happening in the world?

You voice out globally, you engage to people all over the world, and when comes the time to participate only residents of one of the 195 countries can participate. Is that the stand we should expect from the Huff at Hopen? Reporting will only be directed to the USA visitors?

Climate change is not bound by a political tracing, tornados don't know that after hitting Cuba they are moving into Florida, or that showers should stop in the state line before entering the NY skies on 4th July.

Informing, discussing and seeking a solution comes from a global engagement, not from a specific country. Keep that in mind.

btw- let me know if you change the rules and an Argentine living in Sweden can also participate! (Cheap ticket if I win!).-

[Spiky Kitten]

You should just come to the US:

Fly into Canada or Mexico and wander across the border (people do it every day - it's the latest rage).
You will be greeted with open arms and granted all the same rights as people the who are born here.
The more the merrier.

[teasley]

" Delay is no longer an option" Barack Obama..... Did I say that? well, er,um, after the next conference delay will no longer be an option, unless it is still politically unsafe.

[Zoe V]

This is a awesome idea! How wonderful to send a citizen reporter, someone who is passionate about educating and spreading awareness on the global warming issue. Someone who is not part of the "circle" but rather stands out with their own original thoughts, clear of corporate bias and agenda. I'm interested in entering this contest. Now I just have to think of what to say and do in 1 minute. :-) Peace.